eclectic Paperie - Get Altered Challenge

Hi everyone and welcome to our next Get Altered Challenge, hosted on the eclectic Paperie blog!  Today's challenge was to alter a book...ohhh...loved it when I first heard the idea and then spend two weeks fretting over what to create!  I was actually reading to one of my children one night when this idea popped into my head!

I decided to create a faux book out of square chipboard coasters.  Why create a book?  Well...I just couldn't find any books in our house that I had the heart to alter!  LOL!  I think I need to visit my local antique store to grab some worthy of altering...My faux book opens to a picture frame, which fits pefectly on my night stand.  Let me tell you how I created my book...

 I started by grabbing a stack of chipboard coaster, some paint (Pool & Espresso), a few embossing folders, and grungepaper.  I ran all of the grungepaper through my Vagabond to emboss each piece.  Then I painted the two cover pieces with the Pool paint and the extra strips with Espresso.

 I let the paint dry, which happens pretty quickly with the paint, and then used my sanding block to remove some of the paint (mostly on the embossed areas).  Then I used my blending tool and Walnut Stain Distress Ink to age the cover.  Check out the difference after aging!  (My youngest told me, "Mom, I'm not sure this looks so good...it's all messed up and kind of old looking."  Exactly, kid, exactly...)

 Next I glued all of the chipboard coasters together so two stacks of five coasters; five for the left "page" and five for the right.  Then I roughly covered the inside of both pages with the Espresso paint and glued tissue wrap to both pages (seriously, one of my all time fav products!) 

One the glue was dry, I went back with three different types of tissue tape, tore little pieces, and attached them all over the pages.  Aged with my Walnut Stain, and use matte glue 'n seal to seal the entire piece.

Then I printed out two photos of my cutie boys, in black and white, trimmed them, rounded the corners and attached them to the pages.

To my inside pages I used white embossing paste and the mini cursive alphabet stencil to add some dimention to the outside edges of the pages.  I added a few other pieces of tissue tape to hold each photo and then found some of those random mini stickers we all have lying around our studios to add a title.  I also found some perfect rub ons that I used at the botttom of each photo.

Once the inside pages were complete, I started to assemble, which consisted of adding the three bands to the outside of my book to hold it together.  I simply added a few brads to each band and attached them with Glossy Accents (that stuff will hold anything!)  And then my book was finished!  Super fun, I had a great time creating my book and am looking forward to altered more books!

 

Be sure to check out all of the design team's work on the eP blog, and then enter the challenge for an opportunity to win a $15.00 gift certificate to go shopping at eclectic Paperie!